Orthopedic pillow

ABSTRACT

An orthopedic pillow providing support for the head and neck of the user is disclosed. The neck is supported by either of two cylindrical neck bolsters. Either of two convoluted surfaces comprising matrices of pyramid shaped nodes are utilized to give support to and cushion the head.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved orthopedic pillow forsupporting the head and neck of a person lying on his side as well as ina supine position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

There are various types of orthopedic pillows described in the art whichprovide some support for the head and neck of a person lying in ahorizontal position.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,792 (Kogan) describes an orthopedic pillow ofgenerally rectangular shape, the base of the rectangle adjacent to theuser's shoulders being formed with a concave curvature, the rectangleblock having a depression therein for the user's head. This deviceforces the user to lay in the supine position and does not allow freedomof movement throughout the sleep cycle.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,261 (Morrow) describes a head and neck cushion foruse by a person lying in a supine position, consisting of a member whichprovides support for the neck and a second member which supports theunderside of the head.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,599 (Hannonche) teaches a cervical pillow whichprovides corrective support for the head and neck of a person lying in asupine position.

Other examples of orthopedic support pillows to be found in the priorart are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,320,543; 4,432,107; 4,768,246;4,756,035; and 4,550,459.

All of the above-mentioned patents are hereby expressly incorporated byreference as if set forth in their entirety within the presentspecification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principle object of this invention is to provide an orthopedicpillow for providing proper support for the neck and head of a userlying in the horizontal position.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a device which alsogives maximum comfort to the user by cushioning the head anddistributing the weight of the head over a relatively large surfacearea.

Still another object of this invention is to provide such a device whichenables a user to lay in a supine position as well as on his side, andto provide continuous support for the head and neck if the user movesduring the sleep cycle.

In furtherance of these and other objects of the present invention, animproved orthopedic support pillow is described which provides twocylindrical neck bolsters placed opposite each other and joined by arectangular head rest section. The head rest is a substantially planarstructure covered with a convoluted surfaces on both sides whichprovides proper support and a comfortable cushion for the head. In thismanner, the pillow may be used with either side facing up and either endunder the neck of the user, which provides for maximum convenience. Thepillow is encased by a removable cover made of a washable material andclosed by a conventional means such as a zipper.

The orthopedic pillow described herein can be made of various resilientmaterials which provide support as well as a comfortable cushion, suchas polyurethane foam. The shape of this invention is generallyrectangular, however, the size of the pillow can vary as desired.

These and other features, objects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent with reference to the followingdescription and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pillow of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the pillow; and

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the pillow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the orthopedic pillow 1 of the presentinvention is comprised of support member 4, central head rest sections 2and 3, cover 5 and fastener 6.

The support member 4 is comprised of two longitudinally extendingcylindrical neck bolsters 4a and 4b, and rectangular support section 4c.The neck bolsters 4a and 4b are joined to the long ends of therectangular support section 4c such that the long ends of therectangular support section 4c are perpendicular to each of the neckbolsters 4a and 4b.

Each of the central head rest sections 2 and 3 are comprised of amultitude of pyramid shaped nodes 7 which are configured with a roundedtop 8. The pyramid shaped nodes 7 are arranged in an orderly matrixfashion so as to form a convoluted surface. As best seen in FIG. 2,adjacent rows of nodes 7 are offset to provide nodes 7 of one row inalignment with the depression 9 between the nodes 7 of the adjacent rowof nodes 7. This convoluted surface is advantageous insofar as itprovides a larger area upon which the head will rest, which aids inrelieving pressure points and providing maximum comfort. In addition,the convoluted surface allows more air circulation than would a flatsection of foam, which aids in reducing snoring by the user.

The central head rest sections 2 and 3 are joined to the rectangularsupport section 4c along their planar surface. By providing such headrest sections on both sides of the orthopedic pillow 1, a user canutilize both sides to rest his head upon with equal effectiveness.

Referring to FIG. 1, the orthopedic pillow 1 is encased by the cover 5,which can be made of any material suitable for removing and cleaning.The fastener 6 is attached to the open end of the cover 5 and serves toclose the cover 5 around the orthopedic pillow 1 in a conventionalfashion. The fastener 6 can be implemented with a standard zipper,drawstring, or the like.

Practice has taught that the pillow of the subject invention that isparticularly suitable for orthopedic use is made of polyurethane foam of1.5 lb. density. The support member 4 should have a firmness measurementof 18-20 ILD, while the central head rest sections 2 and 3 should have afirmness measurement of 12-15 ILD.

Practice has also taught that by constructing the cylindrical neckbolsters 4a and 4b such that they are five inches in diameter and 22inches long, the rectangular support section 4c such that it is 11/2inches thick x 61/2 inches wide x 22 inches long, and the central headrest sections 2 and 3 such that they are 11/2 inches thick x 61/2 incheswide x 22 inches long, the orthopedic pillow 1 will easily fit into aconventional pillow case. The plane defined by the tops 8 of the nodes 7is therefore 1/4 inch lower than the plane defined by the peaks of thecylindrical neck bolsters 4a and 4b, which allows the user's head to layin a natural position with respect to his neck and body. This eliminatesthe need for specially made pillow cases which are necessitated by theodd shaped pillows described in the prior art.

The orthopedic pillow described herein is superior to the pillows of theprior art due to its versatility in usage. A user can rest his head andneck in both the supine position or while lying on his side. Orthopedicpillows of the prior art contain head shaped concave depressions whichlimit the user to the supine position, failing to take into account thesubconscious movements of a person while he sleeps. In addition, theorthopedic pillow in the present invention is constructed so as toappear to be a conventional pillow and is thereby visually pleasing.Conventional pillow covers can be used, and due to the symmetry ofconstruction, the pillow can be used upside down as can a conventionalpillow.

Although there has been shown and described what is considered to be thepreferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that modifications of such embodiments may bemade. It is therefore desired that the invention not be limited to thisembodiment, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all suchmodifications as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A reversible, generally rectangular orthopedicpillow for supporting a user's head and neck while a user is lying in asubstantially horizontal position comprising:a member made of resilientmaterial having two elongated cylindrical shaped bolsters ofsubstantially the same size attached to opposite long ends of agenerally horizontal rectangular resilient element that connects thebolsters to each other, having generally planar upper and lowersurfaces, and a thickness smaller than the diameters of the bolsters,thereby defining an upper and lower cavity; two generally rectangularresilient cushions, each being substantially the same size as saidplanar surfaces, each consisting of a multitude of pyramid shaped nodesarranged in a matrix fashion on one side, each cushion being joined to arespective upper and lower surface of the resilient element, within therespective cavities so as to expose said pyramid shaped nodes, whereby auser can rest his or her head on either cushion while supporting his orher neck on either of said bolsters and yield maximum support andcomfort.
 2. An orthopedic pillow according to claim 1, wherein saidresilient material is polyurethane foam.
 3. An orthopedic pillowaccording to claim 1, additionally comprising:a removable cover; and afastener attached to the open end of said cover whereby said cover canbe removed from said pillow or secured thereto.
 4. An orthopedic pillowaccording to claim 1 further comprising rounded tops on each pyramidshaped node and wherein the nodes of one row of nodes are aligned withthe depressions between the nodes of the adjacent row.